


Lost and Found

by writeitinred



Category: Merlin (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Hurt, M/M, a little bit of sad face, graves, reincarnation sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2013-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-11 14:14:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/799633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeitinred/pseuds/writeitinred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin continues to wait for Arthur but he is beginning to doubt that the man is ever coming back to him, but when he meets John Watson at a grave site will he be able to believe that Arthur will rise again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was inspired by zeiruin's art on tumblr, and I asked her if I could do this and this is what happened. This is for her, and I hope you all enjoy it!

It’s been over a thousand years. 

It’s been over a thousand years, and Arthur has not come back. People said that he would rise again, but Merlin wasn’t too sure now that it was nearly 2013. 

There is not a day that goes by that Merlin doesn’t think about him or remember all the memories they shared together; there is not a day that goes by that Merlin doesn’t crave the little touches Arthur used to give him when they were in the presence of the higher court or alone.  


Merlin misses Arthur so damn much, and there is nothing he can do but wait for him to return. They say time makes the pain fade away but all it has done is make Merlin hurt even more, and now he finds himself in front of an empty grave.  


He had ordered a grave for Arthur when he moved to London. It was just a tiny way for him to keep the memory of him alive, well just until he came back, then he would get rid of it. For now, though, he stands at the edge of the dirt mound talking to a thing he knows won’t talk back, but it’s still better than sitting at home doing nothing. 

“Hey Arthur,” Merlin began. “Just another day for boring old Merlin I guess. I haven’t used my magic in a while, not like I have any use for it anymore. I don’t have your arse to save anymore, but maybe when you come back I’ll have to use it again.” 

Merlin tries not to cry, but his body fails him and each time his body racks with the sobs he keeps in. The tears start flow freely down his pale cheeks and he moves his hand up to wipe them away, but he gives up when new ones take their place. 

He shouldn’t cry for Arthur anymore, if anything he should be feeling numb from all the heartache these years have brought with them, but that was not the case--that was not the case at all. 

“Please come back,” he sobbed. “I’ve waited long enough for you. How much longer are you doing to make me wait?” 

“Trust me mate, he’ll make you wait as long as he wants.” 

Merlin jumped at the sound of another voice. He turned his head to see a short man with sandy blond hair and deep blue eyes looking at him, standing in front of a grave like him. He didn’t hear this man walk up next to him, but then again he always liked to tune people out when he was talking to Arthur’s grave. Though this man did look familiar to him, and upon further inspection a light bulb went off in his head. 

He remembered seeing this man two years ago standing in front of the very same grave looking so broken and so lost. It made Merlin’s heartbreak for the man, and he didn’t even know him but all he wanted to do was reach out and comfort him. It didn’t seem like his place to do that so he stayed back and kept talking to Arthur.

Now the man looked a little better but not by much. There was a little more light to those eyes then he last remembered, but it looked like he had lost a few pounds. The jumper sagged a little bit around the waist line, but other than that he looked okay. Merlin guessed he didn’t look much better though. 

“Mines been making me wait more than three years. Names John by the way. John Hamish Watson.” 

Merlin looked at John’s extended hand before taking it into his own, “Merlin. Merlin Emrys. It’s nice to meet you.” 

They both stood there in silence, letting their hands drop to their side before turning to look at their own gravestone. 

“Would you like to come to my flat for some tea? It’ll be nice to have someone other than Mrs. Hudson or Lestrade. As much as I like them, some other company would be thoroughly enjoyed.” 

Merlin took his bottom lip between his teeth as he thought it over. He didn’t know if he should go to this man’s flat because he’s grown accustomed to being on his own and having no other company except a couple of friends that he thinks he can trust.  
It’s not that he didn’t want to go, he just didn’t know if he could hold a decent conversation with him but maybe he should just suck it up and go. 

“Yeah, some tea would be nice.”  
\--  
Merlin sat beside John in the cab, silence filling up the empty space. There was nothing for them to talk about seeing as though they just met at a grave site, and Merlin didn’t really know if there was anything to talk about but their loved ones. 

He was grateful though when the cab stopped and they could get out. It was becoming a little too stuffy in the cab for his liking, and the silence was getting a little awkward for the both of them.

He followed John up the stairs to the flat, slowing down to take in how bland it looked. Besides from the wallpaper and the apparent smiley face with gun holes everything seemed so clean. 

“It wasn’t always like this you know,” John called from the kitchen. “This place used to be a mess. Newspapers thrown around as well as books, science equipment messed up the table, but at least there is no more heads in the fridge for him to experiment on.” 

Merlin let out a forced chuckle at John’s try for a joke. He didn’t even question that last part because he knew John was just trying to cover up the stab of pain those words gave. He knew how John felt, acting happy when he thinks that he needs to please people, but this was Merlin he was talking too. He didn’t need to do that for him. 

“What was your guy like?” Merlin asked as he made his way into the kitchen, taking the offered cup of tea with a quiet thanks. 

“Oh, he was bloody brilliant. He could take one look at anyone and know what they were hiding, and that was just fantastic. Nobody else thought it was, they just thought he was being an annoying dick all the time, but god that beautiful mind could go through cases like the they were nothing at all.”

Merlin watched in awe a John talked about this guy. His eye’s immediately lit up, and that smile became so genuine that he couldn’t help but smile with him. It was like this guy was still in the room, and John was just giving him some praise, but just as quickly as the light came it went away. The light in his eyes died and that smile was replaced with a frown. 

“One case got him though. One case drove him on the brink of insanity, and I stood and watched as he fell from the top of the hospital. It was the most horrible thing to see. Him falling to his death, and I want to forget, but I can’t. The memory haunts me every time I close my eyes.” 

Merlin heard his voice go soft, and he had really listen to hear the last sentence. One look at John and Merlin could tell he was holding back the tears, and he was just about to move in and hug him when John took a sip of his tea and gave him a sad smile. 

“What is his name?” 

John cleared his throat, the sound loud and rough against the silence of the flat, “His name is Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes. It’s your turn now to tell your story.” 

Now it was Merlin’s turn to light up as he thought about the man Arthur was, “Well, when I first met Arthur I hated him. He was arrogant and an arse, and at the time I wanted nothing to do with him. Though as time went on our lives ended up tangling together more then we wanted them to, but it wasn’t like we had a choice. We were two side of the same coin and all, inseparable really, but then he was murdered and in the end he died in my arms.” 

Merlin’s voice cracked at the end as the memory of what happened played back in his mind. Tears made their way to the surface but he forced them back. He didn’t need to cry here, he could do that back at his apartment. 

This was really was a bad idea. Talking about this was making everything worse. He should have gone home, and did what he normally did: nothing but work. 

“You said his name was Arthur? Arthur who?” 

“Arthur Pendragon. The best King Camelot has had.” 

Merlin played with the rim of his cup as he let the information sink into John’s brain. The information provided probably sounded bizarre. It would sound weird if someone told him that too. 

“So you have been waiting for this Arthur for over a thousand years? That’s impressive.” 

Merlin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and gave John a nod before leaning back against the kitchen counter. 

“They say he’ll rise again, but I’m beginning to doubt because through all my searching I’ve not found a single trace of him, and I really miss him.”  


John set a hand on Merlin’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze for reassurance. That’s when the tears spilled out and he turned his head to the side so John wouldn’t see him. 

“He’ll come back to you, Merlin. You’ve waited this long, surely you can wait a little longer.” 

He could. He could wait a little longer, he knew that, but the thing beating in his chest didn’t think he could. He’s done all he can to take his mind off Arthur: traveling, writing books, and he even tried to date somebody else. None of those things ever worked because something would end up reminding him of Arthur, and he would be right back to square one. 

“I’m not saying everything will be okay,” John continued. “because when you two finally meet again you guys might find it difficult to carry on like you did before, but you will find him, and he may be closer then you think.” 

Merlin turned his to look at John, not even bothering to wipe the stray tears away because new ones were just going to take their place. He bit his bottom lip as he took in John’s words.

What if he had been looking too hard? What if Arthur had been under his nose the whole time but he had been too busy looking for him in all the wrong places instead of the most obvious? Had he been so worked up that Arthur was never actually coming back to realize that Arthur might have been next to him the whole time?

Maybe he needs to stop looking so hard for Arthur, and just let the coins fall where they may. 

Eventually the tears dried up, leaving his face feeling tight and dry, and his tea finally reached the bottom of his cup. He put his cup down on the counter, getting prepared to leave the flat. He hoped he would still be able to talk with John after this, and maybe hopefully one day they can really good friends. 

“Thank you John,” Merlin voiced, leaning in for a hug. It was a little awkward seeing as though this was their first hug but when John wrapped his arms around him it felt better. “Thank you for everything you’ve said to me today. I’m sure Sherlock will come back to you.” 

John pulled back, shaking his head and letting a small smile play on his lips, “Sherlock isn’t coming back, Merlin, but maybe I should take my own advice and just wait it out eh?” 

“Right,” Merlin answered. “Best of luck to you John. Stay in touch alright?” 

“You too.”

And with that he turned to leave, glad to have another man going through the same thing he is, but he learned that he shouldn’t look too hard for Arthur. He shouldn’t think too hard either, on where Arthur could be. 

He turned on his heel on the street, a little happier then he felt in ages. As he walked his mind kept wandering to all the things he and Arthur would do together when they meet again and for the first time in a thousand years he was getting excited. 

All the excitement and happiness ended though when he felt a body knock into him, sending him on his arse. He let out a groan at the pain shooting up his back side. 

“Maybe you should watch where you’re going next time.” A voice chastised and Merlin had a reply on the tip of his tongue but the sound of the voice made him freeze. 

That voice--That voice sounded just like…Arthur’s!. Merlin’s eyes traveled up the man’s legs, torso, finally landing on that handsome face that made Merlin’s breath hitch. 

It was Arthur--his Arthur. There was no mistaking the shiny blond hair and those teal blue eyes that made Merlin quiver every time he looked at them. He was wearing that smile on his face, the one that Merlin loved so much and it made his heart skip a beat. 

“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” There was no mistaking the arrogance in those words either. This was definitely his Arthur. It was kind of funny how fast this fate thing works, but Merlin wasn’t complaining about it. 

“Didn’t know that’s what people said to the person they knocked over. Don’t they usually help them up and apologize or can’t you stop being a prat for more than five seconds to do that?”

Arthur laughed and Merlin didn’t know if anything else could sound so wonderful to him at the moment. He hoped that he would be able to here that laugh over and over as time went on. 

“Sorry, here let me help you,” Merlin took Arthur’s outstretched hand, a shiver running up his pine at the spark it produced. “How about I buy you a drink and we can call it even?”

The smile on his face never felt more genuine as he answered, brave and bold, “I thought you couldn’t be seen having a drink with a mere servant.”  


Merlin felt Arthur give his hand a squeeze and the smile he gave made Merlin’s heart skip another beat. Arthur did remember everything that happened with Camelot and with them, and the response that ensued confirmed it. 

“You have always been more than a mere servant, Merlin.” 

~Finish~


End file.
